SYDNEY: Australia’s prime minister apologised for widespread sexual harassment, abuse and bullying of political staff on Tuesday (Feb 8), a year after a high-profile rape allegation rocked the country’s parliament.
Addressing lawmakers, Scott Morrison apologised directly to former staffer Brittany Higgins who said she was raped by a male colleague in a minister’s office in 2019.
“I’m sorry to Ms Higgins for the terrible things that took place here,” Morrison said describing a decades-long culture of abuse in the corridors of power.
“But I am sorry for far more than that – for all of those who came before Ms Higgins and endured the same.”
“Over many decades, an ecosystem, a culture, was perpetuated where bullying, abuse, harassment, and in some cases even violence, became normalised,” he said.
Higgins went public in January last year, sparking nationwide protests.
Australians were shocked by the alleged abuse she experienced, but also the way she was treated when she told her bosses.
She said she felt pressured not to go to the police ahead of the 2019 election and described a “culture of silence” in Australian political parties.
In the wake of Higgins’ allegations, and those of other staffers who came forward after her, the government launched multiple inquiries.
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